Gummi bears + ? = Explosion?

[GutZ]

I need your chemistry brain with this one here. There is a person who I came in contact who is studying biology who claims she can make explosive out of a gummi bear (or gave indication to some with sugar) and some mystery substance she is not willing to give up and says I could never figure it out and that the mystery chemical is something you can only acquire from say...a lab. That's the wrong thing to say to me because I HAVE to know.

 

My first thought was potassium chloride (ive seen experiments on the net, seems like a basic intro to a class) but that doesn't seem to like a chemical compound that is hard to acquire. She really placed emphasis on the inability to aquire it through normal means.

 

She also mentioned fire crackers....As a metal casting tech...I can tell you the a lot of those components are metals such as magnesium, and other thats give of a glow in different colours.

 

My chemistry knowledge is very limited. Almost embarrassing so I need your guys help.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Potassium chlorate.

 

txkRCIPSsjM

 

I've done it in class. We blew open a test tube once when a kid mashed four marshmallows together and dropped them in the test tube with the potassium chlorate.

[GutZ]

She could be lying then. She told me it was not true...she seemed shock when I told her that...maybe she's scared I might be interested in more than just acquiring knowledge for knowings sake. It was at a bar and she was the waitress.

 

edit::

 

Oh I said Chloride not Chlorate....

 

Thanks dude!

 

Can anyone give me the reaction that is going on...

 

like you know with the arrows showing the process...Its been so long since I took chemistry.

 

I think I write it down on the back of the bill or something next time to be smart ass

Edited June 16, 2009 by GutZ

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

[ce]2KClO3 -> 2KCl + 3O2[/ce]

 

The potassium chlorate releases pure oxygen, as above, which then oxidizes the sugar (i.e. lets it burn fantastically well, since there's loads of oxygen).

 

That's the summary. One of the chemistry people might correct me; it's been a year since I've done serious chemistry.

[GutZ]

If someone hasn't said this...but clearly you guys...are the best.

[iNow]

You could always tell here that Gummi Bears plus C4 equals boom. She might get a kick out of that, especially since C4 is hard to come by.

[Justonium]

If you drop a gummy bear in molten potassium perchlorate it reacts very violently as the perchlorate ions are converted to chlorate ions, oxidizing the sugar in the gummy bear.